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Monday, March 31, 2014

Sleeping Jenny Cover Reveal







FULL JACKET COVER:




ABOUT SLEEPING JENNY...


As the daughter of multimillionaires, Jennifer has everything she's ever needed, except time. Diagnosed with a form of incurable cancer, she has only months to live, and her dreams of working for National Geographic to save African elephants and polar bears are shattered. Her only hope is an experimental cryogenic freezing program, which will keep her in stasis until doctors can find a cure. The cure comes three hundred years too late, and she wakes to a futuristic world where animals are all but forgotten.

Descendants of her brother adopt her, and she's thrown back into high school. Exara, the class beauty, calls Jenny the Neanderthal girl, and she becomes more of a sideshow than a member of the senior class. Only Exara's gorgeous boyfriend, Maxim sympathizes with her. Her developing feelings for Maxim are only the beginning of her problems. There aren't any more animals to save, so Jenny involves herself with a rebel group called the Timesurfers, explorers searching the galaxy for another planet to inhabit to clone long-dead animal species. Soon, she must choose between her blossoming feelings for Maxim and her lifelong dream.



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Check back daily for more entries! :) 


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Aubrie grew up watching the original Star Wars movies over and over again until she could recite and reenact every single scene in her backyard. She also loved The Goonies, Star Trek the Next Generation-favorite character was Data by far-, and Indiana Jones. But, her all time favorite movie was The Last Unicorn. She still wonders why the unicorn decided to change back to a unicorn in the end.

Aubrie wrote in her junior high yearbook that she wanted to be "A concert flutist" when she grew up. When she made that happen, she decided one career was not enough and embarked as a fantasy, sci fi author. Two careers seems to keep her busy. For now.



Goddess Wars Blast and Excerpt


Of Silver and Beasts (Goddess Wars #1)
Release Date:  April 19th 2013
New Adult Fantasy

Summary from Goodreads:
In the sand-covered queendom of Cavan, the goddess once saved a young Kaliope’s life, preventing the mercury her father attempted to hide in her blood from reaching her heart. Now, a cybernetic clamp filters it, but the silver streaks swirling faintly beneath her skin are a constant reminder that she’s different.

When nineteen-year-old Kaliope is chosen as head of the Nactue Guard, she becomes the sworn protector to her empress. In the midst of an invasion on a neighboring land, Kaliope is placed in charge of guarding Prince Caben, the last heir to his kingdom. But when they’re attacked by the feared Otherworlders, Caben and Kaliope are abducted and taken below to a realm where they must fight for their life in a caged arena.

Kaliope struggles to protect her princely charge, keeping him and herself alive while battling inhumanly opponents, and trying to save the stolen, sacred relic that will restore her empress’s life force and all of Cavan. And if she can somehow awaken the goddess within her, she may save what’s most important.

New Adult Dark Fantasy: Intended for readers 17 years of age and older.

Available from:
(FREE on Amazon, Kobo and Smashwords)
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Of Darkness and Crowns (Goddess Wars #2)
Release Date: September 1, 2013
New Adult Fantasy

***WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN’T READ BOOK ONE***

Summary from Goodreads:
The moon goddess has taken up residency within Prince Caben, darkening his mind and soul. Now he hunts the very women he sacrificed his life to save, his conflicting desires for love and power raging a battle within him. Kaliope possesses the key to setting Bale free, and Caben will stop at nothing to see his goddess restored. Even if that means destroying the kingdom he’s sworn to protect, and the infuriating woman who torments his thoughts.

Kaliope, now the leader to the newly formed Nactue Guard, has vowed to save Caben. But with a traitor lurking among her people, and powers she’s unable to fully control, Kaliope’s mission becomes shrouded with doubt. Her new role as watcher over Caben’s kingdom brings a burden she’s unable to bear alone, and appointing the right person in charge of the prince’s affairs has turned a kingdom against the Nactue leader. Saving her stubborn, willful prince from the darkness overtaking him will be the battle of her life, and she needs people she can trust by her side. But bad blood between members of the Nactue obscure Kaliope’s journey, while her feelings for Caben cloud her judgment.

When the time comes to do what she must to destroy the goddess of chaos, will she be able to if it means losing Caben forever?


Book two of the Goddess Wars is told in dual point of view from Kaliope and Caben. New Adult Dark Fantasy, intended for readers 17 years of age and older. 

Available from:
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OF DARKNESS AND CROWNS: 
A Goddess Wars Novel, Book 2
Caben’s POV
Excerpt

I block her blow and come at her from above, forcing her to deflect my attacks at an awkward angle for her petite stature. My smile spreads. “We can dance like this all night, but I’d rather our time be spent more usefully.” I lunge and slash, making it tiring for her to defend herself. “Take me to the goddess relic, and I’ll let you and your empress live…for the time being.” I grunt as she snakes a cheap shot to my wrist. 
She’s not amused by the slight damage she’s inflicted. Rather, as her gaze traps my broken skin, she looks mortified. Everything I’ve waited for is falling apart. I can’t have her die at the end of my sword while mourning the loss of her prince. She needs anger. Wrath. Disgust. 
Those are the emotions that will drive her to face me full-on and not hold back. 
I could end this now—slice her open and turn my back on her forever. Find the relic easily for myself and what else I came here for and then be gone. But something inside me refuses to accept a simple defeat. Not from the woman who has tormented my thoughts with weakness and regret. 
She’s the last thing in this world that threatens my power. And I refuse to destroy her in this state, only to have her haunt me from the grave. I need a worthy foe—a vicious opponent—to defeat.
Not a heartbroken girl.
“This won’t do.” I growl as I back her against the wall, my swings becoming sloppy with my rage. As if she knows what she’s doing to me, she smiles. The first one I’ve seen in so long…and she’s beautiful. Heart stopping. It infuriates me.
I shout and thrust my sword, knocking hers aside as I move into her personal space. Realization washes over her face, and she quickly brings up her arm to guard against my fist. I stop short, my balled hand an inch from her cheek.
My breaths are hot and quick as they leave my mouth in heavy puffs. My gaze flicks over Kal’s shocked face, her trembling lips. And my fingers uncurl. I press closer and trace my fingertips along her soft skin…
Kill her.
With a jerk of my head, I hush the dark goddess’s voice. Then I seize Kal’s wrist and slam the back of her hand against the stone wall. She’s as stubborn as ever, keeping a tight grip on her weapon. I knock her arm against the wall again. And again, until she releases a cry and her sword clatters to the floor.
I drop my own and grab the arm still held up as a shield, then pin both her wrists to the wall. “Look at me,” I order, my tone giving away my frustration. Impatience grips my nerves, and I drop one hand to grasp her face, forcing her eyes to meet mine.
As she drinks me in hungrily, like she’s only just now truly seeing me, something stirs beneath my skin. The white power crackles over my hands, healing the wound on my wrist, and Kal’s eyes widen.
The last time she encountered my power, when she was trapped by the glowing tentacles, she suffered tremendous pain, I’m sure. And though something inside me is screaming to unleash that power on her now, I rein it in. I don’t want our dance to end so soon. 
As the power recedes, leaving my skin unblemished, I caress her face. Run my palm and fingers along her soft flesh. Down her jawline. All the while, her eyes hold me, ensnaring me. This is her power—her spell over me. It’s the reason why she must die. 
I have to be free of her.
Yet, I can’t help wanting to inhale her, taste her, quench my thirst of her one last time. And maybe that will even spark the fury within her to fight. Bring the old Kal back, the one who would rather put a blade through a man’s heart than be victim to his charms.
Pushing my body against hers, I revel in the feel of her curves, and know that I’m lying to myself. It’s completely selfish what I’m craving, but the lie is all too tempting. Just like her.
I lower my head and place my lips to her neck, breathe her in. Then, trailing them along her slick skin, my tongue flicking out to taste the mix of sweetness and salt, I move next to her ear. Her breaths deepen, pressing her sultry chest to mine.
“Let me in, Kal,” I whisper, loving how my words cause her to shiver. “It’s what you want.”
Pulling back, I lock gazes with her. The desire in her eyes urges my lips to trap hers, and I move in. Wanting to caress them as much as the yearning demands to hurt them. 
“Caben,” she says, low and breathy. I halt my descent. She bites down on her lip, and my arousal hardens painfully against my pants. 
“What, love?”
A slow smile curls her lips. “Fuck off.” Then she spits in my face.


About the Author
From an early age, Trisha Wolfe dreamed up fantasy worlds and characters and was accused of talking to herself. Today, she lives in South Carolina with her family and writes full time, using her fantasy worlds as an excuse to continue talking to herself. For more information on Trisha Wolfe and her works, please visit: www.TrishaWolfe.com

***Author Links***
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1 Caben Flask Necklace (US only)

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Friday, March 28, 2014

Blackness Takes Over Spotlight





Synopsis
Shannon Kelly’s life has been anything but typical.
Her life has been altered viciously at the hands of others twice.
However horrible they have been, it’s these changes that have given her a family and career…now possibly love.
The last thirteen years she has been supported and loved by her protector, her entertainer, and her comforter, but never a lover.
When Dylan Kellerman enters Shannon’s life he changes its course in more ways than one.
He gives her hope and promise of a future she was convinced wasn’t attainable.
Just as she begins to believe she has finally turned her life into something she can build a future on…blackness takes over.

Norma Jeanne Karlsson




Blackness Takes Over is Norma Jeanne’s debut novel. What began as an homage to the home town of a homesick Midwestern girl, unfolded a story of love, danger, humor, and trust. She’s currently working on her untitled sophomore effort. We can’t wait to see what thrilling saga she leads us through next!
Originally from Kansas City, Missouri, Norma Jeanne recently found herself relocating to the United Kingdom. Now living in Belfast, she took hold of the opportunity to kick the 9-5 job for a chance to become an author. The best part: working from her home office, she gets to spend more time with her cast of crazy characters (written and real).
In her free time Norma Jeanne is a voracious reader and consumes books as readily as meals. She is a people watcher by nature and uses her experiences in life, observed or otherwise, to build the worlds and characters that thrive in her books. A believer in the strength of the human spirit, Norma Jeanne writes the stories of people that persevere when all appears to be lost.
“Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” –Dylan


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BLACKNESS TAKES OVER



    

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The Shadow Prince

Today is release day for THE SHADOW PRINCE by Stacey O'Neale! Help us celebrate the release of this amazing novella and enter to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card!


 Every sacrifice has consequences.
Sixteen-year-old Rowan has spent most of his life living among the mortals—learning to control the element of fire, impatiently awaiting the day his vengeful mother, Queen Prisma, will abdicate her throne. When he finally returns to Avalon for his coronation, his mother insists he must first prove his loyalty to the court by completing a secret mission: Kill Kalin, the half-human, half-elemental daughter of the air court king. Willing to do anything to remove his mother from power, he agrees to sacrifice the halfling. He returns to the mortal world with his best friend, Marcus, determined to kill the princess. But as he devises a plan, he starts to question whether or not he's capable of completing such a heinous task. And what price he will pay if he refuses?



Available for FREE on Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Also available in PRINT from Amazon


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Photoshoot-21
Stacey O'Neale lives in Annapolis, Maryland. When she's not writing, she spends her time fangirling over books, blogging, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Baltimore Ravens, and hanging out with her husband and daughter.
Her career in publishing started as a blogger-turned-publicist for two successful small publishers. Stacey writes young adult paranormal romance and adult science fiction romance. Her books always include swoon-worthy heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of kissing.
Stacey loves hearing from readers. Follow her on Twitter @StaceyONeale, look for her on Facebook, Pinterest, and GoodReads. You can also visit her blog at http://staceyoneale.com/.

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Eastland Promo and Excerpt




Book Summary:
WOULD YOU RISK YOUR LIFE FOR JUST ONE DAY OF FREEDOM?

For hardworking teen, Dee Pageau, the annual employee picnic will let her escape the drudgery of work and possibly find love with her best friend Mae’s older brother, Karel. But in 1915 Chicago, girls don’t go on picnics without their mother’s approval.

Unfortunately for Dee, Mama has had a premonition of disaster and forbids Dee from going. Forced to watch as Mae and Karel leave without her, Dee defies Mama and rushes off to join her friends.

But Dee’s joy soon turns to terror when the ship ferrying them to the picnic capsizes. Rescued not once but twice-by Karel and a mysterious sailor-Dee finds herself tested in unimaginable ways. What happens next turns out to be worse … and better … than anything Dee ever expected.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20750890-eastland-a-novel?ac=1

Excerpt:

Three doors down, neighbors had gathered in front of the VandeKipp home. Officer Kennelly emerged from within the house at the very moment a paddy wagon pulled up to the curb. The assembly erupted in questions and jeers. Kennelly held up his arms.
“Easy now. We’ve got the situation under control.”
“Control?” argued Mr. Czarnek, who lived across the street. “You call this control?”
“Their landlady is checking now,” said Kennelly. “She’ll let us know if any valuables were taken.”
“And then what?” countered Mrs. Ivanko. “They’re all dead. Even if you find the thieves, who you gonna return the belongings to?”
“Right!” Mr. Czarnek retorted. “Who?”
“Who?” the crowd echoed.
Their “who’s” soon turned into an angry chant. Kennelly signaled to the driver of the paddy wagon. Six more policemen piled out the back door, every one of them brandishing a billy club. The cops encircled my neighbors, smacking their clubs against their opened palms. My neighbors pressed outward toward the cops, still chanting.
I was inching back toward my front door, when a whistle blew.
“Stop! Please!” Kennelly held his whistle to his lips as the chants fell away. “We’re all on the same side here. And we’re all justifiably angry at people who could take advantage at a time like this. We’re grieving for the VandeKipps. Even the police.” Kennelly looked at his fellow cops. They nodded and lowered their clubs. “This neighborhood, why, the entire city of Chicago, has been devastated. We don’t want to add to that heartbreak, do we?” Heads shook. “Good. Let us finish our investigation. You good people go home. Be with your loved ones.”
People muttered and shook their heads as one by one they drifted away. The six cops quietly disappeared into the VandeKipp home. Kennelly stood alone on the porch for a moment, watching, and then turned and went back inside.
I wandered along the deserted sidewalk wondering what had happened. Neighbors I’d known my whole life had gone berserk. Friendly coppers had threatened violence. Burglars had stolen from the dead. And what about the Miller Brothers, those two pickpockets from the armory? So much evil. Then I remembered Lars Nielsen and how he’d risked sliding into the river in order to save me from myself. What about Karel? If not for him, I would have drowned in the capsizing, along with those two teenagers and that baby he’d pulled from the river only minutes later.
There was Mrs. Mulligan. Many a day she and her children went hungry. Yet somehow, she’d managed to scrounge together enough pennies to buy a crepe of ribbons and flowers for the VandeKipps’ front door.
At the end of the block, I’d turned back toward home, relieved to know that good still existed, when something flickered. I looked at the corner house. Through the parlor window, a candle glowed, a notice for the neighborhood that someone in that home had died. I stared up and down the street. Candles blazed from dozens of windows. Not in every home, but in every other, maybe every third or fourth. Crepes hung on the doors of those candle-lit homes, a further sign of the torment within. I thought of the joy of last Saturday morning.
How could things have gone so terribly wrong in such a short time? Yet one look around, and I knew I was not alone in my despair. Everyone had to live a new life. Forget BC and AD. Time had taken on a new meaning. Now there was only BE and AE. Before and after the Eastland.

Buy Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Eastland-Marian-Cheatham-ebook/dp/B00IA8SUQU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1395464787&sr=8-2&keywords=Eastland+by+Marian+Cheatham

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eastland-marian-cheatham/1118596332?ean=9781495203640

About the Author:

Marian Cheatham lives in a suburb of Chicago with her family and their menagerie of pets. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Marian taught Special Education for many years before becoming a full-time writer.

Author Links:
http://www.mariancheatham.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5612234.Marian_Manseau_Cheatham
http://www.facebook.com/mariancheatham.author

***GIVEAWAY***

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 RULES AND RESTRICTIONS:
Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond  or another winner’s name will be selected. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.

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Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Interview: Big Fat Disaster Author Beth Fehlbaum



Synopsis 
Insecure, shy, and way overweight, Colby hates the limelight as much as her pageant-pretty mom and sisters love it. It’s her life: Dad’s a superstar, running for office on a family values platform. Then suddenly, he ditches his marriage for a younger woman and gets caught stealing money from the campaign. Everyone hates Colby for finding out and blowing the whistle on him. From a mansion, they end up in a poor relative’s trailer, where her mom’s contempt swells right along with Colby’s supersized jeans. Then, a cruel video of Colby half-dressed, made by her cousin Ryan, finds its way onto the internet. Colby plans her own death. A tragic family accident intervenes, and Colby’s role in it seems to paint her as a hero, but she’s only a fraud. Finally, threatened with exposure, Colby must face facts about her selfish mother and her own shame. Harrowing and hopeful, proof that the truth that saves us can come with a fierce and terrible price, Big Fat Disaster is that rare thing, a story that is authentically new.
“Colby’s life … is difficult enough, but it gets worse very quickly once she discovers a photo of her politician father kissing another woman. The fast pace, lively … dialogue, and timely topic make it a quick and enjoyable read.” – Kirkus Reviews (Starred)



INTERVIEW WITH BETH FEHLBAUM

1. What is currently on your nightstand or ereader itching to be read?

DARE ME, by Eric Devine. 
Eric is a member of the group author website I founded, UncommonYA, and I won a signed copy of DARE ME from Eric during one of his contests. 

2. What is your go to cure for writer’s block?


I give myself permission to back away from physically writing and instead roll the story around in my head. Usually the breakthrough comes when I’m driving, and if I’m driving, I pull over and either email myself the idea or call and leave a message for myself on voice mail.

3. Most people think about Anorexia or Bulimia when they hear the phrase "eating disorder" but Colby is an overeater. You have said that you yourself manage an eating disorder similar to Colby's. Can you give readers some insight on what managing your eating disorder entails?

The first thing I learned to do when I was in therapy was to seek a way of soothing myself in other ways than food. Over time, I learned to recognize my eating disorder as me trying to take care of myself in a way that only created more problems, i.e. if I was having unpleasant feelings about a situation, if I binged because of it, the shame took my focus from the original situation and caused me to instead feel bad about having gorged myself. Plus, there’s the physical discomfort, which also serves to distract from the original problem.

I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and sometimes I slip, but I now recognize signals in myself—such as obsessively thinking about eating a certain food—as a sign that I’m on the edge of a compulsive overeating episode, and I can choose to prevent it. My first thought when I have unpleasant feelings—still—is to eat. Doesn’t mean I always act on it. I have gotten to where I can just acknowledge a thought or feeling that previously would have sent me running for something sweet. It’s like, “Oh, hello. There you are again,” but I don’t act on it. I learned to distract myself with activities that don’t involve food.

There are some foods—like cookies—that I know that if I start eating, there will never be enough. It won’t matter whether I like them or how I physically feel. The urge to continue to eat until they’re all gone, because I’ve done it so many times, and it always has the same result: I feel rotten about myself and physically I feel ill because I haven’t eaten high-fat, high-sugar stuff in large quantities in so long that my stomach can’t handle much without getting really upset. Therefore, I don’t eat cookies, and I try really hard to not eat any sugary sweets at all since I have an endless appetite for them. As I said, when I give into temptation and do eat, for example, some cake, I get a really upset stomach and end up kicking myself since I don’t feel well.

The difference now, though, is that instead of staying stuck in a neverending cycle of shame and overeating, I recognize that I alone have the power to stop the binge, and I can choose to start AT THAT MOMENT to take care of myself in a positive way.

The feelings Colby experiences—that shame, lack of control, and lapse in memory of what all she consumed—are coming directly from my own battle with Binge Eating Disorder.

4. You went through six years of intensive therapy to help you recover from being abused as a child. A lot of people, young adults and adults alike, find starting therapy a very frightening and uncomfortable experience. 
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting therapy for the first time?

The six years of therapy I went through were with a clinical psychologist whom I clicked with at the same time that circumstances in my life came together in a way that I had a strong support system in my husband and then-teenage daughters.

I had been in and out of therapy many times since my early twenties, but I never had the support system in place to withstand what I had to do in order to get well: face the truth about my stepfather sexually abusing me and my mother not protecting me. This involved breaking with my family of origin completely—basically, when I insisted on no more playing “Let’s Pretend,” it was made clear to me in a variety of ways that I had done something so wrong (in their eyes) that they wanted nothing to do with me anymore. It was very, very difficult because my mother was an amazing grandmother to my kids, and they lost her in the process.

Recovery from childhood sexual abuse is very, very difficult. My therapist compared it to a barefoot walk from Texas to Alaska and back, with all the weather along the way. I would agree with that assessment; in fact, I used that comparison in my Patience books, Courage in Patience and Hope in Patience. I strongly believe that people who have been sexually abused and are seeking to heal from it and reclaim their lives need the guidance of an experienced mental health professional. If the first therapist (or second, or third) does not seem to be helping, keep going until you find one you click with. Don’t give up, because you are worth the fight to reclaim your life.

Outside of the therapist’s office, you need a strong support system of people who are aware of what you are going through, who will be safe for you to be vulnerable, and will give you emotional shelter when you need it.

And—be prepared to be completely honest with yourself and others in your life. It’s the only way to heal and find out how strong you are.

(By the way, a third and final Patience book, Truth in Patience, has not yet been published. Courage in Patience has been revised and I’m hoping that at some point, all three books will be issued at the same time.)

5. I too have body dysmorphic disorder and I am well acquainted with the shaming voice that comes to reside within you and how hard it can be to silence that voice. (I call mine E.D.) 
How do you fight your shaming voices?

Isn’t that voice annoying?! I fight mine by asking myself if I would talk to my friends or daughters in the way I’m talking to myself. I know I would never say such hateful things to people I love, so I try not to say them to myself, either.

6. Your Patience series has brought a lot of healing to readers that have faced sexual abuse, do you think Big Fat Disaster will do the same for those with binge eating disorders?
 Has writing these books brought you healing?

I hope that others who struggle with the cycle of bingeing and shame will recognize that they are not alone. That was my hope for The Patience books with respect to recovery from childhood sexual abuse and having PTSD as a result of being abused.

Here’s the thing that brought about the seed for Big Fat Disaster: when I started therapy, I was very overweight. Over time, I lost 100 pounds and was, for the first time, able to wear anything I wanted. I was walking and running on a treadmill—on an incline, mind you—on a nightly basis.

I noticed that my feet started becoming painful, and within a few years, I could not walk without limping. My feet literally crunched when I walked, and instead of working out when I got home from work at night, I just sat in a chair. I went back to some of my self-soothing behaviors with food.

And I gained back half the weight I lost.

Eventually, I had surgery on each foot over the course of two summers, and had to be completely non-weight bearing for ten weeks each time following surgery. So I sat a lot.

That shaming voice in my head—which had been silent for a long time—was back with a vengeance, and “she” was not whispering self-hate; she was shouting judgmental ugliness as I had to buy bigger clothes and boxed up my size Smalls and 6’s.

Losing the person I had become physically, by regaining some weight, felt as if it had happened overnight. I had to have a really honest talk with myself, especially since I had worked so hard to learn to love myself. Prior to going through recovery, I didn’t love myself and I didn’t believe that anyone else really did, either. But I had grown to know that I AM worthy of love, both for myself and from others. Did regaining about fifty pounds make me less worthy of love?

After everything I had been through in my recovery: losing relationships because I chose truth; enduring PTSD episodes and learning to manage the symptoms; choosing truth over lies even when it was scary; all my work to learn to deal with having an eating disorder… did regaining weight mean that I was the same self-hating, broken person I was when I began my journey?

No. It didn’t, and it doesn’t, and whether I stay this larger size forever or lose weight again or whatever happens to me physically, I, you, and all of us are worthy of love, simply because we exist and are all on a journey together.

Exploring that question of whether weight equals being unlovable led to Colby Denton’s story. I knew from the beginning that she would not miraculously go on a diet and lose weight and get a boyfriend and the sort of stereotypical endings that YA fiction books about fat girls often have.

Instead, I wanted Colby to learn that regardless of her size, she is worthy
of love.

7. What is the number one thing you hope readers take away from Big Fat Disaster?

I hope that people who do not have an eating disorder will have some insight into what it is like for someone with Binge Eating Disorder: what it’s like to live inside our heads.

And, I hope that those of us who get up every day hoping that this will be the one day they can get through without hating themselves because of the way they eat or the way they look will know that they are not alone, and that there is hope for breaking the cycle of shame and self-hatred.

Regardless of what they eat or the number on their jeans label, they are worthy of love. We all are.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Beth Fehlbaum

In addition to writing Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Beth Fehlbaum is an experienced English teacher who frequently draws on her experience as an educator to write her books. She has a B.A. in English, Minor in Secondary Education, and an M.Ed. in Reading. She is currently a Library Science student at Sam Houston State University.Beth is the author of Big Fat Disaster (Merit Press/F+W Media, March 2014); Courage in Patience (Kunati Books, 2008); and Hope in Patience(WestSide Books, 2010). Hope in Patience was named a 2011 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Truth in Patience, which rounds outThe Patience Trilogy, is as yet unpublished. The Patience Trilogy has been revised and is available for acquisition!
 
Beth has a following in the young adult literature world and also among survivors of sexual abuse because of her work with victims’ advocacy groups. She has been the keynote speaker at the National Crime Victims’ Week Commemoration Ceremony at the Hall of State in Dallas, Texas and a presenter for Greater Texas Community Partners, where she addressed a group of social workers and foster children on the subject of “Hope”.
Beth is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, like Ashley in The Patience Trilogy, and the day-to-day manager of an eating disorder much like Colby’s in Big Fat Disaster. These life experiences give her a unique perspective, and she writes her characters’ stories in a way meant to inspire hope.
Beth lives with her family in the woods of East Texas.
You can find Beth online at http:www.bethfehlbaumbooks.com

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Naomi Grim Review and Dream Cast




Series: The Silver Scythe Chronicles #1
Release date: September 29th 2013
Publisher: Twisted Spice Publications
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:
The assignment:
Collect lifestones from humans after they die.
Rebellious, sixteen-year-old Naomi craves a normal life, but unfortunately, she’s a Grim by birth. That’s right, she sees dead people and hoards their living essence in a stone. Not a fun occupation.
In order to be good at her job, she must live among human teenagers for weeks at a time. But Naomi soon becomes attached to the kids she’s been assigned to watch over. And knowing that these teens are gonna die under less than ideal circumstances, she has the opportunity to prevent their deaths from occurring. Only one big problem—interfering with death is the worst crime a Grim can commit. If she intervenes, she’ll put herself and her family in danger.
Naomi must make the hardest choice of her career, go against the sacred covenant or watch her new friends walk blindly to their deaths.
Only one thing is for certain—Naomi has a grim knack for finding trouble and she’s about to break all the rules...

Review:

Tiffany Nicole Smith creates a wonderful and rich world in Naomi Grim. The land of Nowhere is dark and complex and bursting with character. Smith takes is through twists and turns in a society on the brink of political unrest.

Naomi is a sweet and likeable character. Her older brother is forever telling her she doesn't have the heart of a Grim, and honestly that's what makes her so great. Her heart makes her stand out and let's you connect with her.

While I loved Naomi I must admit that I spent a large amount of time wanting to punch some of the other characters in the nose, especially her brother Bram. Although I may not have liked many characters besides Naomi it goes to show how well Smith writes to elicit such strong reactions to her characters.

I was engrossed while reading Naomi Grim. I started reading at 11pm and didn't put it down until I finished the book. I was disappointed that I didn't have the next book to further read about Naomi's adventures.

A wonderful story about life, death, social castes and rebellion.

Rating:
4/5

Dream Cast:

Naomi Grim
Michelle Trachtenberg

Bram
Iwan Rheon

Dorian
Chandler Canterbury

Nox
Nick Moran

Eleanor
Rebecca Hall

Keira
Elizabeth Gillies

Josh
Zachary Gordon

Chase
Matthew Lewis

Nigel
Ben Barnes

Colden
Avan Jogia

Odessa
Eva Green

Dunningham
Tom Hiddleston

Dunstan
Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Doyle
Michael Emerson

Hunter
Callan McAuliffe

Roxy
Haille Steinfeld

Ashley
Juno Temple

Paige
Bryce Dallas Howard


About the Author:



Tiffany Nicole Smith resides in South Florida where she enjoys teaching as well as writing middle grade and young adult fiction. Tiffany enjoys reading and watching horror, action, and fantasy movies—all of which inspire new story ideas. Be on the lookout for upcoming releases.
authortiffanynicole.com | Tiffany Smith

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